His Butler's old Friend, Acquaintance, Business partner, and Enemy
by newsiesgirllaces
Summary: When you live an immortal life, you tend to meet a person once and then that is the end. However, Layla seems to be running into Sebastian since she was new at this whole immortal thing. She hated the demon ever since. However, now having to work with him as a new servant for the Phantomhives, she finds that this encounter with Sebastian will unfortunately be longer than usual.
1. Chapter 1

**I had this lying about in my 'story ideas' notebook and thought "why not." Please enjoy. Sorry for any inaccuracies, it's been awhile since I've watched Black Butler.**

**L.L.A.P**

**~Laces**

Chpt.1

Sebastian Michaelis. A demon who served as a butler waiting to consume his master's soul once he fulfilled his duties.

Just lovely, right?

I've been living on this Earth for centuries and somehow I keep crossing paths with the blasted demon.

His most recent master is a heartless young boy named Ciel Phantomhive. How would I possibly know?  
Because they needed another helper around the mansion, and I went to apply. It was better than finding odd jobs and being a prostitute for some money, which was what I had mostly been doing prior. Being a house servant would be a nice change of pace.

I wasn't expecting at all to once again come in contact with Sebastian.

Once I entered Ciel's office, Sebastian was standing right behind him, like a shadow. He smirked at the sight of me, but didn't say a word.

"What is your name?" Ciel questioned with little patience in his voice, his visible eye glaring at me. He was rather intimidating for a little boy. However, I've faced nastier people.

"Layla." I answered, my golden eyes locked on him without fear.

"Layla what?" Ciel spat, clearly impatient and irritated. I couldn't help but wonder if he was grumpy because he was having a bad day or if it was just his natural state.

"Layla Ravensdale." I informed calmly, and the smirk on Sebatian's face grew. It took all I had not to glare at him.

"What makes you think that you are qualified for this job?" Ciel questioned tiredly with very little interest. He reminded me of a spoiled child, which he most likely was.

"Years of experience." Was my reply, which was how I responded during most interviews for things.

"How old are you?" Ciel inquired.

"Twenty two." I answered with ease. Sebastian gave a short chuckle.

"You look like you're seventeen at oldest." Ciel grunted, disregarding the laugh from his butler. Or, perhaps he was prying more into my age _because _the demon laughed. Either way, it wasn't something I couldn't handle.

"I look young for my age." I shrugged. Meanwhile, that stupid smirk had yet to leave Sebastian's face. Gods I hated him.

"Do you have any skills aside from cooking, cleaning, and gardening?" Ciel inquired.

"I can read Latin, speak German, French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, some Gaelic, and I have just started to learn Japanese. Um… I am a decent archer and I know how to handle a sword. Let's see… what else…"

"That is quite a lot of experience. How did you manage to learn all of that?" Ciel questioned, cocking his head to the side, but still managing to look disinterested.

"A _lot_ of free time." I answered, which seemed to be funny to Sebastian as his smirk turned into an all-out leering smile.

I hated how he looked at me. Almost as if he wanted to eat me or something along those lines. _Extremely _creepy.

"May I speak?" Sebastian inquired, his face becoming unreadable as he confronted his master. As always, his voice was calm and smooth.

"What is it?" Ciel snapped.

"I think hiring this young woman may be to your benefit. Along with helping everyone with their duties, she could translate for your company."

Ciel nodded his head, then looked at me.

"You have the job. You work tomorrow." Ciel stated, as if he came to the conclusion without any talk from his demon servant. "Sabastian, my butler, will show you to your living quarters." The young boy nodded, then went to look at some papers on his desk, ignoring my existence.

"This way… Layla, wasn't it?" the demon questioned as I went to follow him out of the room.

"Yes… Sebastian, correct?" he smirked at me and nodded,

"Right this way."

Once out of earshot from Ciel, I whispered,

"I just cannot get away from you, can I?" Sebastian chuckled.

"Of course not. It's nice seeing you again." He grinned at me, and I glared back at him.

"Can't say the same." I grumbled.

"Come now, be polite." Sebastian scolded in a joking tone.

"It's not my fault that you give me the chills whenever I see you. Every time you look at me it's like you want to…"

"Eat you?" he questioned with a mischievous look on his face. I shot him another glare, even though it didn't do anything except express my displeasure.

"Yes."

The demon shrugged, as if this was a casual conversation one would have walking through the hallways.

"I want what I can't have. Since you can't die, I can never have your soul. A soul that has been through _so _much. You'd be surprised how enticing that sounds to me." he answered.

I felt the hair on my arms stand and my heart was beating faster than usual. When he said things like that… that scared me. Just the thought that creatures like him found the idea of eating my soul tempting terrified me to no end. However, I tried to remain composed.

I quickly tried to move onto a lighter topic.

"So, is that one reaper still in love with you? What was his name again? Griff?"

"Grell." Sebastian corrected, but was no longer smirking.

"I'm taking it that his love for you is still unrequited."

"It will _forever _be unrequited." He stated coldly. It struck me as funny how much he absolutely hated Grell, yet how much Grell was in love with him.

It was then the demon's turn to change the subject.

"You realize that my master isn't stupid." Sebastian warned, his voice less friendly. "He will realize that you are not aging and get suspicious."

"I'm not afraid." I muttered. Sebastian quickly turned on his heel and faced me.

"Are you sure about that?" he questioned. His crimson eyes bored into mine, and I'd admit that it made me feel uneasy.

"Such a coward." He smirked.

I should have known that he was taunting me to get me angry. I should have stayed calm, but when you have a temper, it is hard to quell it. Even after centuries of life.

I wound back to punch him, but the blasted demon caught my fist.

"That would be very unwise." He stated in a low voice as something dark and sinister flashed through his eyes.

"Then don't taunt me." I growled, pulling my fist out of his grasp while taking several steps away from the man.

"I make no promises." Sebastian's voice was lighter again. I swear it was impossible to read the demon.

He opened a door that led to a small plain room. It had a small window, wooden floors and white walls. Inside was a small bed and a plain wooden nightstand. I was in the servant's quarters so everything wasn't as luxurious as the rest of the mansion.

Not that I minded that entirely.

"This will be your room." Sebastian informed. "If you would like, I can paint it blue. That is your preferred color, correct?"

"You remember?" I questioned, surprise written on my face.

"But of course. What kind of a butler would I be if I lacked a memory?" he smirked.

"Remembering a small detail like that… that's a bit queer." I stated, and Sebastian gave me a hurt look, though I knew he wasn't really offended.

"Just for that, you can paint the room yourself."

"That's what I prefer, rather than having some dreadful demon like you do it." I smiled at him.

I suppose anyone viewing the conversation would find it strange how Sebastian and I went from speaking casually, teasingly, threateningly, and business like in a matter of moments, but that was just how it went with us. We were old friends, old acquaintances, old business partners, and old enemies. Forgetting the past encounters was difficult and the roles we played flowed together.

"You will meet the other servants at dinner in about an hour. I'll retrieve you at that time. In the meantime you can feel free to unpack. Just do not set anything on fire."

Oh, he remembered _that _too.

He gave me a knowing look, then turned like he was about to leave the room.

"Um… Sebastian?" he turned to face me yet again, smirking at my softened face.

"Thanks… for getting me this job." I mumbled, my eyes staring at the ground as I did so.

In a blink of an eye, Sebastian had his gloved fingers tightly holding my chin, tilting it up to look him in the eye.

"It's rude to speak to the ground. But It was my pleasure, Layla." He whispered and I was glaring at him again.

"Relax, immortal." He smirked.

"I will once you get your hand off my face, demon." I growled.

"Of course." He chuckled as he released my chin. "By the way, I apologize for that scar." He informed, brushing my messy curls away from my neck to trace a faint line of an old scar still in the process of fading. "I had to obey my previous master and you _did _seem to make him upset."

It was my turn to chuckle.

"Sorry you didn't fulfill your master's orders due to me not dying."

"I retrieved his soul shortly after, it wasn't much of a problem." He shrugged, then left the room to attend to whatever business a butler like him had to do.

"Well…" I sighed, "This is going to be interesting."


	2. Chapter 2

Chpt.2

I didn't have very much to unpack from my small bag. When living for as long as I have, I have learned that possessions are not as valuable as most people want to believe, and can be ignored and forgotten easily.

So, I had several books for entertainment, which I stacked on the nightstand. I had a sketch book, which I also used to pass the time. And I had two pairs of outfits. That was it.

I flopped onto my bed, sighing as I took the hairpins out of my bun that was already coming undone. I sighed as my hair fell in my face and ran my hands through it.

Sebastian Michaelis. That blasted demon. I did appreciate the job, but I disliked having to be in contact with him again.

On our previous reunion, he used a knife to slit my neck.

He knew that I was immortal, but he was merely following his master's orders, like the hungry dog he was. Nonetheless, it still hurt. I hated unnecessary injuries.

"Hopefully I won't have to spend too much time with him. He still has to spend majority of his time with his precious meal of a master. He won't have much time to bother me." I thought with a smile.

I continued to lay on the bed, running my hand through my hair to make sure that all of the pins were out of it. I didn't feel like reading or drawling so I continued to lay about.

"What I would give to have a box of matches during moments of boredom like these." I mumbled.

I dozed off, dreaming unhappy things that I had gotten used to, and then was awakened by Sebastian clapping his hands loudly next to my ears.

I sat up, startled. His hands clapping coincided perfectly with a gun going off in my dream. The blasted demon probably knew and had done it on purpose.

"I leave you for an hour and come back to find you passed out with your hair in ruins. Honestly, I know you can conduct yourself better than this." He chided.

I rolled my eyes, stood to my feet, and then wished I was back on the bed. I was very tired and never got much of a good night's sleep.

"You should know that I am very disappointed in you." Sebastian stated.

"You don't say." I mumbled.

"I am introducing you to the people you will be working with and yet you neglect to fix your hair and your wrinkled clothes." He went on, voicing his displeasure more.

Did he really think that I gave a damn? Centuries of life and I was still supposed to fuss over little pointless things?

"How _will _you sleep tonight." I smirked, but then frowned. "… if you even _do _sleep." Sebastian sighed, shaking his head.

"I can tell that you are going to make the coming weeks very difficult."

"Only if you let little silly things like my hair and clothes bother you." I sneered, but Sebastian's face became more serious.

"Disobeying me is not wise. Remember, you are my subordinate. As the Butler of this house, you have to become accustomed to obeying my instructions and commands." He stated, then smiled at me. "I know that you can take instruction well. You were a slave… how many years ago?"

I glowered at him, barely able to restrain myself from hitting him, but Sebastian was unfazed by my look.

"I was under the assumption that being a servant was quite _different _than a slave." I stated, my voice hard. He stared at me for a moment, then smirked at me.

"I see, I hit a nerve there. My apologies." I continued to glare at him. I doubted that the demon really meant his apology, and it angered me how he remembered our past moments so easily. Not to mention, he knew multiple of my former occupations. The more and more he knew about me, the more uneasy I felt.

Sebastian calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin dark blue cloth ribbon.

"Now, if you would turn around."

I begrudgingly obeyed. Whatever he was going to do wasn't going to kill me after all.

I felt his gloved hands brush against the nape of my neck, making me stiffen. I knew I couldn't die, but I disliked being touched by him.

"W-what are you doing?" my question came out as a stutter, which frustrated me. When I stuttered, Sebastian knew I was nervous.

"Fixing your unruly hair." He said with ease as I felt my hair being tied up by the ribbon. "No need to stutter." He whispered, extremely close to my ear, making me tense up even more. "There." He turned me around to face him and looked much more pleasant.

"Feel better now that my hair is to your liking?" I questioned in a grumble.

"Much."

Sebastian then took that moment to lead me down to the dining room to introduce me to the other servants. Not a word was spoken between us on the way there, which was perfectly fine with me.

My dream was still lingering around in my mind like a ghost, so I tried to focus on the quiet of the halls and the even step of our footsteps. Unfortunately, it wasn't working too well.

Guns. Angry men. Pain. Sebastian. Yes, a _very _horrible dream that reenacted a hated memory.

I couldn't help but wonder if the Gods were looking down and laughing at the situations they put me in. They made the memories that I yearned to remember impossible to reach and the memories I wanted to forget forever present in my mind.

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding in. Just thinking of forgotten memories, I tried going over the important things in my mind.

I dug up treasured memories like the fact that Azar had green eyes and brown hair, and he enjoyed dancing and would often beg me to dance with him. I remembered how he loved looking at the stars. And I also remembered that his favorite color was red.

However, that thought troubled me. Was it red or was it yellow?

I told myself that I would not forget something like that, and that red was most definitely his favorite color. Still, I felt like that was wrong. Yet another memory that was in the process of slipping away.

"Are you alright?" Sebastian's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"What?" I questioned, not catching exactly what he had said.

"I asked if you were alright. You look pale." He informed. My face hardened and I crossed my arms.

"What do you care? I'm fine." I snapped.

"Just making sure. I would hate to just obtain a new servant and have her immediately fall ill." Sebastian informed in his usual calm voice.

Before I could make a retort, we entered the dining room where four people stood.

"Layla, this is the rest of the occupants of the household." He stated. "We have the gardener, Finnian." He gestured to a young boy with clips throughout his orange/blond hair.

"The cook, Bardroy." The next was a tall man with blond hair and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

"The maid, Mey-Rin." My eyes widened at the beautiful woman wearing the conservative maid outfit with large glasses. Her hair was a lovely dark red.

"And lastly the steward, Tanaka." Sebastian finished, gesturing to a serine looking old gentleman with a cup of green tea.

"Hello." I gave them all a polite curtsy.

"Everyone, this is Ms. Layla Ravensdale, she will be helping around the manor." Sebastian stated.

Mey-Rin grasped my hands smiling ear to ear.

"Well, she's a pretty one yes she is!" she exclaimed happily in a shrill voice.

"Pretty yeah, but she looks real young. Sebastian, is it okay for her to work here?" Bardroy questioned, sounding concerned.

"She's far more competent than she looks." Sebastian stated, while I was greeted by a tight hug by the small Finnian boy.

"It's nice to meet you!" he exclaimed happily, lifting me up and spinning me in circles. For a boy who was so thin and innocent looking, I was surprised by how strong he was.

"Nice to meet you too, Finnian, right?"

"You can call me Finny." He informed enthusiastically with a bright smile.

"Alright… Finny." I nodded, my breath started becoming more labored. He was squeezing me so tight I started struggling for air.

"Finny, I would appreciate if you wouldn't kill the poor girl on her first day." Sebastian stated, and Finny immediately released me.

"I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed in a panic.

"It's alright." I grinned.

"Alright everyone. We are having an important guest coming this evening and everything needs to be in order. Mey-Rin,"

"Y-Yes, Sebastian?" the woman stuttered.

"Make sure to have the manor sparkling. So please, try your best not to break any fine china." He stated, then turned to Finny. "Finny, make sure that all the hedges are trimmed. Do not get overzealous."

"Yes sir." Finny nodded.

"Baldo." Bardroy stood at attention. "Try to cook some simple appetizers. I will work on the main dish. Please do not blow anything up or use your flamethrower." Sebastian instructed.

"You have a flamethrower?" I questioned with excitement, but Sebastian stated quickly,

"A flamethrower that he will _not_ be using."

Well that was no fun, but I figured that maybe I could ask Bardroy to show me his flamethrower at another time.

"Now, Layla, you will be helping Mey-Rin with the cleaning. Doesn't sound all too difficult, now does it?" he was teasing me. Cleaning? I knew how to clean. I could clean blindfolded if I had to, and Sebastian knew that very well.

"No, it doesn't sound that difficult at all." I played along, smiling. Sebastian smirked, handed me an apron, then nodded at us.

"I'll be preparing things as well while attending to the young master. Do not, _do not_, fail in your tasks and keep out of trouble." With that, he was gone.

"He said it twice." Bardroy whistled.

"Must be serious." Finny nodded.

"Well then, let's get to it!" Mey-Rin exclaimed happily. "We'll make this mansion more beautiful than it has ever been, yes we will!"

Bardroy and Finny laughed happily with hope of accomplishing the tasks, then Mey-Rin grabbed my hand.

"I'll show you where the cleaning products are." I followed her to the cabinet and the two of us got to work.

It didn't take long for me to understand why Sebastian had told her not to break any fine china. It seemed that if an object was fragile and it was within a meter of her, it was bound to fall and smash on the ground.

I followed after her, quick to catch any falling object along her cleaning route.

After scrubbing several of the halls, she turned around and hugged me tightly.

"You made sure I haven't broken anything, yes you did! Thank you! You're really a dear, yes you are!"

"No problem." I smiled, hugging the woman back.

I couldn't help but think that maybe it wouldn't be so bad working there after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own 'The Last Rose of Summer' by Thomas Moore, nor do I own Black Butler. All I own in this story is Layla :)**

**Enjoy and tell me what you think! I love Constructive criticism if you have some. :)**

**L.L.A.P**

**~Laces**

Chpt.3

As I scrubbed the floors, Mey-Rin was on a ladder, dusting off a cabinet. Judging by how clumsy she was prior, I kept watching her out of the corner of my eye. If she fell, I was prepared to catch her.

Sure enough, the moment Sebastian entered the hall, she fell off of the latter. I quickly turned and caught her with ease. However, some of the vases on the top of the cabinet fell, but Sebastian quickly caught them.

"I see you two have been productive." He nodded with a smile. "Our guest should be coming in several minutes. Please make yourself look presentable and wait out front to greet him."

"Yes Sebastian." Mey-Rin smiled as I placed her back on the ground. Sebastian then turned to look at me.

"Did you hear what I said, Layla? Make yourself presentable, which means no wrinkles in your clothes." He informed with a small smirk.

"Yes, Sir." I nodded, trying not to glare at him with Mey-Rin present. We headed to our rooms, and that's when I realized that Mey-Rin's room was right next to mine. It was nice to know that she wasn't too far away if I wanted to talk to her.

I got dressed into my only other dress, which wasn't wrinkled. It was a simple olive color and I wore my apron on top of it, knowing that would signify my position as a servant. The dark blue ribbon didn't quite match, but it was fairly unnoticeable and was the only ribbon I had to pull my hair back.

I supposed that I should have thanked Sebastian for the gift. However, thanking him for something so small felt as if I would be showing weakness to him. So I decided to keep it to myself.

I appreciated that the other dress I owned covered majority of my skin, covering up my scars. However, I could still see the scar peeking out on my neck, but I couldn't do much about it.

One of the many downsides of being immortal is that if you get injured, it hurts but heals relatively fast. However, the scar lingers for a good several decades before it fades completely. The only thing that didn't seem to scar for some reason was burns. Burns heal quickly without any sign there was a burn in the first place.

Mey-Rin was walking out of her room just as I was walking out of mine.

"You look so pretty, yes you do." She smiled at me.

"Thanks. You do too. You remind me of a stunning rose freshly bloomed without a single petal lost." I smiled. My statement clearly shocked Mey-Rin as she blushed at the compliment.

"Oh my dear, you're too kind yes you are." She laughed.

We made our way outside, chatting about silly things, but things I would try to remember for the future. Like the fact that Mey-Rin liked the color blue and that her favorite flower was Slender Speedwell.

We met up with Tanaka, Finny, and Bardroy outside, where they stood in a line, ready to welcome the incoming guest. I stood in-between Mey-Rin and Finny.

The carriage didn't take long to arrive, and Sebastian opened the carriage door to reveal a wealthy looking man.

We all bowed in unison at the man, and Tanaka led him inside the manor.

"Who was that man?" I questioned, several moments after the man was inside.

"Lord Taylor." Sebastian stated. "He is a fairly prominent figure in the business industry and it is important we make him feel like our most honored guest." With that, Sebastian went inside.

"So… what now?" I inquired.

"We wait in the kitchen or our separate dining quarters." Bardroy informed with a shrug. "Sebastian handles most of the one on one contact with visitors mostly because of how many times we've screwed up in the past."

"I see." I nodded, then followed everyone into the kitchen. I had to wonder why Ciel kept the servants around because even though they were kind, they were very incompetent at their jobs. I told myself that perhaps it was to show his status. No respectable wealthy man in England would simply have only one butler and no one else to do things for him.

"Sebastian already took my appetizers out, I see." Bardroy said proudly.

I looked over at the ingredients on the counter, then at Bardroy.

"What did you make?" I questioned. Something about the powdery substance on the counter didn't look right to me.

"Breaded Zucchini." He informed. My eyes widened at the white powder on the counter as I bent down to look at it closer.

"Did you use this to make it?" I inquired, sticking my finger into the white powder.

"Of course. Flour is used when making breaded zucchini." Bardroy said as if it should be obvious.

"This isn't flour. It's rat poisoning." I stated.

"Yes, Rat poiso- wait! W-what?!" Bardroy exclaimed in shock.

"This is rat poisoning." I repeated. It was silent between all of us for a moment. Then after three seconds, Mey-Rin, Bardroy, and Finny screamed in panic.

"What do we do! Sebastian already took the food out! If we try to stop them from eating it… this… this isn't good!" Finny exclaimed in a panic.

"Bardroy, you whip up something else for the appetizer that is non-poisonous and then sneak it onto the table while I keep everyone distracted." I stated, trying to think of something to remedy the situation.

"If you interrupt, Sebastian will get mad, yes he will." Mey-Rin warned with concern.

"The blasted demon doesn't scare me." I snapped. "Now get to work, all three of you! Quickly, I don't know how long my distraction will last." With that, I rushed out of the kitchen.

My mind was rushing with what I had to exactly _do_ to distract everyone in time for the three to prepare the food and sneak it in.

As I approached the dining room door, I noticed a violin that was most likely Sebastian's, in which he would grab and use to entertain later in the night.

"Looks like the entertainment will be earlier than planned." I mumbled as I lifted up the instrument and opened the door.

Ciel, Lord Taylor, and Sebastian stared at me. Sebastian had just finished pouring the lord his tea and I noticed that the appetizers had yet to be touched. Good.

I calmly strode into the room, besides the fact that I technically wasn't supposed to be there and handed Sebastian his violin.

"Sir, I am here to assist you with the entertainment for tonight. The one we rehearsed before." I informed seriously.

Sebastian was angry. He was more than angry, he was _furious. _I could tell by the way his eyes flickered with the inner demon, however, he played along.

"Ah, yes. Wasn't that for later in the evening?" he questioned in his light hearted innocent voice.

"No, I do believe that we rehearsed it for the beginning, so that the young master and his _honored_ guest would have more time to discuss business afterwards." I informed calmly.

If anyone were to look at Sebastian at first glance, they would say that he was perfectly fine with the situation. However, I could tell that the chances of me being harmed by the demon were swiftly increasing. After this was over, I was in for some trouble.

"Ah yes. I remember now." Sebastian nodded. He placed his bow on the violin and started to play.

He knew what song I was talking about, of course. It was the only song that Sebastian and I had ever rehearsed together in our very long lifetimes.

"'Tis the last rose of summer,

Left blooming alone;

All her lovely companions

Are faded and gone;

No flower of her kindred,

No rosebud is nigh,

To reflect back her blushes,

Or give sigh for sigh." I sung. Sebastian continued to play away and I was proud of myself that I remembered the lyrics. It truly was a beautiful song. A sad song, but a beautiful one nonetheless.

"I'll not leave thee, thou lone one!

To pine on the stem;

Since the lovely are sleeping,

Go, sleep thou with them.

Thus kindly I scatter,

Thy leaves o'er the bed,

Where thy mates of the garden

Lie scentless and dead."

The lord was enraptured in the music. His eyes were closed in content, and I had a feeling it was due to Sebastian's violin playing. Yes, I did think my voice was well trained and beautiful, but I believed that my voice paled in comparison to Sebastian's violin.

As I continued singing, Bardroy swiftly and silently walked into the room with the new dish and swapped it out, unseen except by Sebastian and I. When Bardroy left, I mentally gave a sigh of relief. I could enjoy the last verse of the song.

"So soon may I follow,

When friendships decay,

And from Love's shining circle

The gems drop away.

When true hearts lie withered,

And fond ones are flown,

Oh! who would inhabit

This bleak world alone?"

I finished and Sebastian played the last note. It was quiet for a moment. Suddenly, Lord Taylor let out a long breath.

"That was magnificent." He praised. "Such a wonderful way to start out an evening." He applauded. Sebastian and I bowed in unison.

"Thank you, your lordship." Sebastian smiled. "if you would excuse us, I will be bringing out the main course and the young miss has work to do."

With that, we both calmly strode out of the room. I made it to the hallway before Sebastian swiftly grabbed me by the throat and pinned me to the wall.

"Would you care to explain what that was all about." Sebastian said. His voice was calm, but his eyes showed his fury. He pressed his thumb against where my scar was, and I hissed at the pain as I tried to breath.

"Rat… poisoning." I wheezed.

"Rat poisoning?" he questioned, his grip loosening on my neck.

"Yes. Rat poisoning. Bardroy mistook the rat poisoning as flour and we realized the mistake after you took the appetizer. I acted as the distraction while Bardroy and the others cooked another appetizer to swap it out." I explained quickly.

Sebastian released his grip on my neck, and the anger dissipated from his eyes.

"I see. Then I owe you an apology."

"You don't owe me anything. You took part in the distraction as well." I stated, and Sebastian chuckled.

"Still, your quick thinking is much appreciated, so thank you." I had to admit, I wasn't used to Sebastian actually _thanking _me for something. I was silent from my shock.

"The last rose of summer." Sebastian chuckled once I remained silent. "The song suits you very well."

"Don't you have a main dish to be serving?" I snapped.

"Indeed I do."

Unfortunately he was going to the kitchen to grab the food, and I was heading to the kitchen to meet up with everyone else.

"I must say, you have done very well for your first day, immortal." Sebastian informed as we walked down the hall. "You haven't even set anything on fire yet."

"You do know that fire isn't a _bad_ thing, right? I make sure it's controlled." I argued. "Besides, technically the only one who is hurt is me."

"I don't like it." Sebastian's voice was serious again.

"Why is that?"

"My own personal reasons." He informed coolly. Before I could press the matter further, we were back in the kitchen where everyone else was waiting.

"There you are!" Bardroy smiled with relief as Mey-Rin and Finny hugged me.

"Sebastian, please don't be too upset at Layla." Finny stated, breaking away from the hug. "She was able to-"

"I am not upset with Layla, she explained to me what the situation was." Sebastian informed, and everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. That was kind of sweet, actually. I never thought that they would be worried about me after only knowing me for hardly a day.

"Now, I have cooked some Bakewell tart for all of you for a job well done."

"Thank you Sebastian!" the servants cheered as he handed them each a plate with the tart on it. They headed off into the servants' dining room to eat the confection.

"Layla." I looked up at him and he extended his arm towards me. In his hand was another plate with a tart on it. "I made one for you as well."

I felt like this was a trick. I wouldn't have put it past him to let it drop to the floor the moment I went to grab the plate and then make me clean up the mess.

However, after several seconds went by, I reached my hand out and grasped the plate. He handed it to me, which made me feel foolish for being so apprehensive.

"Thanks… demon." I mumbled.

"You're ever so welcome, immortal." With that, Sebastian picked up the meal he was serving and was out the kitchen door.

I joined the rest of the servants as we ate the Bakewell tart Sebastian gave us. I had to admit, I did miss Sebastian's cooking.


	4. Chapter 4

**Please enjoy! Constructive criticism is much appreciated :)**

**L.L.A.P**

**~Laces**

Chpt.4

I tried to remove the shackles that bound my hands and feet to the cold wall, but it was no use. I knew that regardless, I _was _going to make it out of the old cellar alive, but I did not have the patience to wait.

"Sophie, do you know how long we've been down here?" I asked the corpse in the cell next to me. She was mostly bone now, with a patch of skin here and there, but she had mostly decomposed. I had known the girl back when she was living and breathing. It had most definitely been a long time since I was out and saw the sun.

I didn't need food to survive, but I felt week after going years without something to eat and drink.

"Can you believe our rotten luck, Sophie?" I sighed. "We get kidnapped to be sold as sex slaves, kept down here for storage, and then once the man who caught us either died or was thrown in prison, we remain hidden away." I shook my head, looking at the corpse.

"You know, I'm jealous of you. You suffered, but then death granted you sweet release. Me on the other hand… death doesn't want me. It's as if I'm death's bastard child and it wants no part of me at all. All I can do is wait. Either for these chains to rust enough for me to break through or for someone to find me."

I remained lying about until I heard a loud clunk from the door several meters away, and two pairs of footsteps.

"Sophie, am I imagining this?" I whispered, but then I could hear a man's voice.

"Dilapidated old place, isn't it? Rumor has it that my grandfather was selling girls down here. Of course nobody ever looked around and checked."

"Sophie, someone _is_ here." I smiled with excitement. Then exclaimed, "Help! I'm back here!"

"A ghost!" the man shouted in fright, however, the other man stated,

"No. That is not a ghost."

My eyes widened in surprise. I _knew_ that voice.

"The demon?" I whispered. Sure enough, standing in front of my cell was the demon that had been popping up throughout majority of my life. Standing next to him was a stout man with a hardened face.

"Who are you?" he questioned.

"M-my name is Layla Ravensdale." I informed. I noticed the demon smirking at me, but I ignored him and was looking at the other man. "Please sir, can you get me out of here. I haven't eaten in what feels like years." I pouted. However, the man did not move.

"How did you get in there?" he questioned suspiciously.

"I-It's all fuzzy. Once I have some food and water, I'm sure I'll be able to remember." I informed innocently.

The man didn't make any movement to help me, then turned to the demon.

"Jonathan , do you have any idea who or what this girl is?" he questioned, looking at me with distrust.

"She is an immortal, my lord." The demon answered.

Suddenly the man was looking at me with new interest.

"Immortal? So you were one of the girls my grandfather had kidnapped." The man chuckled. "Well, why not put a pretty little thing like you to work, then. Jonathan, release the girl from her confines and carry her upstairs to the mansion. Make sure she doesn't try to run away."

"Yes, my lord." Jonathan bowed, then turned to me. The man went upstairs, leaving his butler to bring me to him.

When I had hoped that I would be released, I was hoping that I would be found by someone who would just take pity and help me. Not… not whatever this man had planned. I could tell by looking into his eyes that he was soulless. At least, he soon would be since he kept the demon as a servant.

The demon ripped the shackles off of me as if they were made out of paper, and lifted me up. I turned my head to look at Sophie's corpse.

"Goodbye Sophie." I whispered. "I truly wish that I could have joined you." Jonathan chuckled at my misery.

"You truly do have a tormented soul, Layla." He whispered.

"This man… he is not kind. Am I right, demon?" I questioned, and the smile on Jonathan's face vanished.

"Yes. You are correct."

"W-what is his name?" I questioned.

"Jacob Richworth." The demon informed, then brushed the hair out of my face. "I know you stutter when you're nervous. Don't be scared. Just follow his instruction and you should come out relatively unscathed."

**_CLAP _**

I woke up with a scream stuck in my throat. I hated when my dreams started reenacting memories that were unsavory ones.

I looked to see that it was Sebastian who had woken me up.

"You do know that a nice 'wake up Layla' would be much more appreciated than a loud clap next to my ears." I informed grumpily.

"I'll make a note of that for future reference." He smirked. "For your work today, I planned on having you help Finny with gardening. Do you have proper clothes to work outside in?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"Very good." He smirked, then left the room. I quickly changed into the other set of clothes I had. I owned two dresses, and a pair of work clothes. Male trousers that were tattered and brown, and a cream colored button up shirt. I wore some bindings underneath my shirt so that my small chest wouldn't get in the way of my work outside. On my feet I wore a pair of brown work boots.

I combed my hair, and then tied the ribbon to keep the hair out of my face.

Just when I finished dressing, there was a knock at the door. I figured that it wasn't Sebastian, because knowing him he would have walked right in after a brief moment.

I opened the door to see Mey-Rin.

"Good morning Layla, I was just coming to get you so that…" she trailed off as she stared at me.

"Layla? You look like a young man, yes you do." She informed in shock.

"These are the only outdoors work clothes I own, and they are quite comfortable." I informed, smiling at her. I then said, "By the way, you look just as marvelous as you did yesterday."

She started blushing, which made me smirk. She was acting just like Sophie was.

Getting ahold of herself, Mey-Rin took me to the main room where I could meet up with everyone for a quick breakfast.

I walked into the servants dining area, where I was met by surprised stares as I entered a room and sat at the table.

"Weren't you a girl yesterday?" Bardroy questioned .

"I'm still a girl. I just changed into more comfortable work clothes." I shrugged as I ate the fruit that was out on the table for us along with some eggs.

"But what if someone comes over?" Finny inquired. I honestly wasn't seeing what the problem was.

"Then call me Azar if you're afraid a girl wearing men's clothing will be that detrimental to the Phantomhive image." I quickly devoured what remained on my plate, then stood from the table. "Alright Finny, let's get to work outside." I smiled.

I enjoyed being outside, and I also enjoyed having an excuse to wear the men's clothing. Men's clothing was most definitely lighter and more comfortable than women's clothing was.

The rest of the day was spent with Finny and I clipping the shrubs and planting new flowers that Sebastian had bought.

Speaking of Sebastian, I had yet to see the demon since the morning, so I was in a good mood.

Finny and I were working side by side, planting bushes of white roses.

"These flowers sure are pretty." Finny smiled as we planted them. However, he let out a small yelp and drew his hand away for a moment. "If only they didn't have thorns."

"I think that's what makes it such a beautiful flower. The fact that it can be beautiful and harmful at the same time." I chuckled. "Roses are my favorite flower." I looked over at Finny's hand and took an old handkerchief out of my pocket and dabbed his bleeding finger with it.

"So you like Roses? Do you like white roses out of all the other colors?" he inquired, looking at the white roses we were planting.

"Actually, I like yellow roses the best. They mean friendship and joy." I smiled, then removed the handkerchief from Finny's finger, and the blood had stopped seeping from his skin.

"Friendship and joy. That's nice, I never knew that." he smiled as we got back to planting more of the flowers. "What do white roses mean?"

"White roses can actually mean a multitude of things. Remembrance, innocence, new beginnings, and purity are the few that I can remember." I informed as I easily planted the next bush. Finny did the same but yelped when he was pricked once again by the thorns.

"I don't think Roses like me very much." He sighed, but then smiled. "But they seem to like you. You haven't been pricked once." He grinned energetically.

That actually wasn't true. I was pricked several times, but the injury was so minor it healed in less than a second.

"Why don't you just wear your gardening gloves?" I inquired.

"Well, I figured that since you didn't need them then neither would I. I see that I was wrong though." He chuckled a bit. "I'll be right back." He smiled and was off to grab his gloves from inside.

I continued planting the bushes while Finny looked for his gloves. Honestly, why Sebastian wanted so many white rose bushes in the first place was incomprehensible to me.

"My my. It seems that I have found a young boy planting white rose bushes in the yard." I looked up and to my disdain, my eyes laid upon Sebastian.

"These clothes are more comfortable to work in." I grumbled. "And aren't you supposed to be shadowing your young master?" I inquired.

"He was in a rather unpleasant mood and sent me away." Sebastian shrugged. "I figured that I should check up on all of the servants and see how you were fairing."

"Finny and I have been fine." I stated with teeth clenched. Honestly, the demon's presence really did put me on edge.

"I can see that you've managed to plant a great amount of the rose bushes. I commend the two of you for your hard work." He then smirked at me as I continued to pat at the soil and plant the bushes.

"I must say, I forgot how hansom you could look." He stated.

"I look better as a boy than as a girl." I grumbled, remembering the hansom image that looked back at me in the mirror this morning.

"Yes, that is true, but people still look to you as a pretty girl none the less. If not then you would have had troubles working as a prostitute, and you and I both know that you had a very _thriving_ business as a prostitute." He grinned, then frowned a bit. "You know, it _is_ possible to work in a dress."

"Yes, but this is much more comfortable. Besides, I only own two other dresses and I wore both yesterday." I explained.

"Only _three_ outfits?" Sebastian questioned.

"Three is a magic number." I shrugged, then pricked my finger. A large droplet of blood managed to escape before the wound closed. Before I could dab the blot of blood away, Sebastian crouched down next to me, grabbed my hand and licked the drop of blood from my finger. He smiled, the violet demon eyes of his flashing for a moment.

"You're sick." I sneered, pulling my hand out of his grasp.

"This is the closest I can get to being able to devour you. If not your soul, then some of your blood is acceptable. However, blood is more of a small appetizer compared to a soul." He chuckled, and I felt my hair standing on end.

Sebastian could truly scare me at time.

"I-I don't care. Don't do that." I grunted, trying to ignore the demon who was right next to me, and continued on with planting the next rose bush.

Sebastian wordlessly stood, then made his way back to the house. However, he lingered in the door frame.

"In case you were wondering, Layla, you taste magnificent for an appetizer." With that, he was gone.

"I found my gloves!" Finny exclaimed happily, appearing just as Sebastian had vanished. I smiled warmly at the boy.

"Th-that's wonderful." I grinned, and the two of us went back to planting the bushes together.

"You are a really good gardener, have you ever gardened like this before?" Finny inquired.

"Y-yes. Yes I have. It was a rose garden actually, but that was a fairly long time ago." I informed with a small shrug.

I tried to pay attention to what Finny was saying and what I was doing, but it was hard for me. My hands were shaking from fear.

_"In case you were wondering, Layla, you taste magnificent for an appetizer."_ The blasted demon had said. That one sentence managed to make me more fearful of him, and my hands didn't seem to want to stop shaking.

"Is something wrong?" Finny inquired, wide eyed and innocent as he noticed that my hands were trembling.

"N-No. Nothing wrong at all." I smiled at him, trying to stop my hands from shaking so much. "Just thinking about an old acquaintance of mine that used to help me plant the roses when I was younger."


	5. Chapter 5

**Please enjoy and tell me what you think :) **

**L.L.A.P**

**~Laces**

Chpt.5

I sighed as I unlaced my boots and kicked them off. Unfortunately, I had been tense all day after Sebastian's comment. I truly hated the idea of him eating me. Of course, if I was in this same situation centuries ago, I might have been more hopeful rather than scared.

But at that moment, I was terrified. I didn't want my soul to be eaten or even to be attempted to be eaten by that demon. Just the fact that he tasted my blood and _enjoyed _it made me want to run and hide.

"I'm not going to let that get in the way of this job." I grumbled. I was enjoying my time with the other servants, and I didn't want to leave, and I _certainly _didn't want to make my fear apparent to Sebastian by leaving.

I let out a long sigh, and started reading one of the books I brought along to pass the time. _Twenty Thousand Leagues from Under the Sea _by Jules Verne. It was a very entertaining book and quite different from the books I was used to.

I briefly took my eyes away from the book to see the candle that was lit in my room for light that was on the night table. There were no matches in sight in the room, and Sebastian kept it that way. He was the one who lit the candle, and I didn't want to risk putting it out.

"Blasted Demon, not even letting me have the pleasure of some little matches." I grumbled. Just then there was a knock at the door. Before I could move to open it, Sebastian was walking into the room.

"W-what do you want?" I glared at him, closing the book so I could throw it at him if I needed to.

"I just came by to see if you put out the flame of your candle yet." He smirked at me, chuckling a bit. "I see you have _some_ restraint."

"Well, if I was allowed to have some matches, you wouldn't even have to see if my candle went out."

"I told you, I don't like it." he stated firmly. "be grateful that I'm letting you have a lit candle near you, but if you do _anything _to the flame aside from putting it out swiftly when you are done with it, you will be spending the rest of your nights here in darkness." His voice was low and threatening.

"Understood." I mumbled. "So, what? You came here just to threaten me about fire?"

"Actually, I came here to give you something. The young master wanted you to have it." he produced a yellow rose from his jacket.

"A yellow rose?" I questioned, taking the outstretched rose into my hand.

"Indeed. The young master thought that you would appreciate it." I looked at the rose with a small smile.

"That was very kind of him." I grinned.

"Do you remember what a yellow rose means?" Sebastian inquired, and I softly laughed.

"Of course I do. It means friendship and joy." I stated.

"Do you not remember who taught you that the yellow rose meant friendship and joy?" Sebastian questioned, and the smile I had faded from my face.

"A butler who I briefly encountered told me. A man hired me to help clean up his garden and plant some roses. As I worked, his butler planted the roses with me and started telling me what the different roses meant. He laughed when I told him that my favorite color was yellow. It meant friendship and joy when in my life friendship could never last as long as I wanted it and joy was replaced by sadness."

"Sounds like this butler was an intelligent man." Sebastian smirked.

"I think he was foolish." I stated, and Sebastian cocked his eyebrow up and looked at me with some surprise.

"Oh?"

"Yes. He was a very foolish man. Friendship is everlasting, even when a person passes on, and joy can be the same way."

"That is very optimistic of you." Sebastian smirked, walking closer to me. "Still, I can only imagine how lonely of a life you lead."

"Shut up." I mumbled, looking at the ground. I then felt a gloved hand press over my heart, and I looked up at Sebastian with a glare.

"It's the only mark that has yet to fade, am I right?" I smacked his hand away, grimacing at the fact that he was right. There was a scar over my heart that he had given me, and it would _never _heal.

"Tell Ciel that I am grateful for the rose. Now get out. I am going to sleep." I stated. I laid the rose on the nightstand next to me, then blew out the candle.

I could still see Sebastian staring at me by the light of the moon.

"I will, Layla. Sleep well." He stated, then left the room. Laying my head on the pillow, I tried to relax.

Blasted demon, bringing attention to things I want to forget like the scar over my heart. Before I could fume about it more, I fell asleep.

Working as a prostitute was better than being stuck with Jacob Richworth. As a prostitute I consented to the acts and I had a choice. Not with Jacob Richworth, the sadistic man. I considered myself lucky when he asked me exactly what kind of immortal I was.

"I-I can still die. If I were to have my neck slit, heart stabbed, head decapitated, or if I was hanged, I could die. The only thing I am granted is a life free from aging and sickness. Minor cuts, burns, and such are healed." I was grateful that Sebastian didn't tell his master that I was lying.

No matter where or how many times I was stabbed or shot, I would still live.

Lying about my abilities saved me a great amount of pain, even though my experiences with Jacob Richworth were still excruciatingly painful.

I would sit in his stupid bed, hugging myself, covered in my own blood but having no wounds left in any of the places I was cut.

"Jonathan!" Jacob called, ringing a bell as he laid about on the bed, like the fat pig he was. The demon strode into the room, his face calm and unabashed at the sight in front of him.

"You called, my lord?" he questioned.

"Clean this bitch, then put her in a servants bedroom. Then come back here and polish my knives." Jacob commanded, roughly shoving me off the bed so that I was closer to the demon of a butler. Feeling humiliated, I hugged my naked body uncomfortably while staring at the ground.

"Yes, my lord." Jonathan bowed, then lifted me up in his arms.

"Jonathan, huh?" I questioned once out of ear shot from Jacob, and the demon nodded his head.

"Yes. That is the name my master gave me."

"You were Isaac before. And you were Lawrence before that." I stated. "I liked those two names better than Jonathan."

"What would _you_ have named me, then?" the demon's eyes were on me, and I shifted uncomfortably in his hold.

"I'm not entirely sure." I sighed. "Adham suits you, I think."

"Adham. That sounds interesting. Any meaning behind it?"

"It means black." I stated, then chuckled a bit. "I think it suits you well. I don't think I've ever seen you wear any other color."

"What could have been." He sighed. I looked down at the scar over my heart.

"Yes. What could have been." I whispered.

The demon lowered me into a tub of warm water and started to scrub away at the blood.

"I _can_ clean myself." I stated.

"Yes, but my master told me to clean you, so I personally must carry the action out." He informed. I could see the lingering scars from the knife littered all over my body, and I let out a long sigh.

"I hope you _really _enjoy this man's soul when the time comes." I mumbled.

"I am quite sure I will. Tormented when he was as a young man, and angry at the world. All I have to do is help him achieve his goal."

"Which is?" I pried.

"Help him achieve a high status in society, then give him three years to enjoy himself. A very vain and idiotic man." The demon chuckled. "Honestly, accomplishing his high status was simple. He only has several months left now." He ran a finger over a particularly large scar on my arm. "So just bare this a bit more. Wait it out."

"I hate this." I grunted.

"I can only imagine so." The demon nodded. He continued scrubbing at my skin until there were no more signs of the dried blood, then took me out of the tub, wrapping a large towel around my small frame. He lifted me off the ground, but I shot him a glare.

"I can walk myself."

"I'd prefer it if I'd carry you." He replied. "Just rest yourself. You didn't sleep very well last night, did you?" I shook my head.

"No. I didn't."

He carried me to a room and placed me on the bed. It was a servant's room, but it was warmer than outside and _not _Jacob's room, so I wasn't complaining.

The demon then made sure the covers were around me and that I was warm. I had to wonder why he was being so kind to me. What was he gaining from this? He would never act kind if his master didn't order it and if he gained nothing from it.

However, I was too exhausted to interrogate him about odd behavior.

"Rest yourself." The demon whispered, and I had no choice but to comply as I drifted to sleep.

"Wake up, Layla."

"Adham?"

"I am called Sebastian here." I blinked my eyes open and saw the demon standing next to the bed. "You didn't sleep well, did you? Past memories troubling you?"

"That is none of your business, Demon." I growled.


End file.
